On November 17, Consul General Hong Lei attended the Memorial Ceremony for Mr. Lu Guanqiu at Wanxiang Group office building, delivering condolences for the passing away of Mr. Lu Guanqiu and extending comfort to his families. Governor Rauner of Illinois, Mayor Emanuel of Chicago and over 300 participants from various sectors attended the memorial.

Consul General Hong Lei said that China’s opening up provided a platform for Mr. Lu Guanqiu, whose life long unremitting efforts have made huge contribution to China’s endeavor of opening up. Were it not for the opening up policy, Mr. Lu Guanqiu’s life could have been in obscurity. It was the opening up that transformed his life. Mr. Lu Guanqiu answered call of the time, seized opportunities in China’s growth tren, and stood out as an exemplary of the numerous excellent entrepreneurs in the opening up process. He started his business by establishing an agricultural machinery factory with 4,000 RMB. After years of conscientious work and dedication, Wanxiang Group has became an enormous private company with annual revenue over 100 billion RMB and profit over 10 billion RMB.

Consul General Hong Lei said that Mr. Lu Guanqiu possessed outstanding characteristics that were widely seen in peer entrepreneurs. He was influenced by traditional Chinese culture, inherited his father’s frugality and adhered to his mother’s teaching of “Do good things to help others” which is also a guiding spirit to Wanxiang Group. He worked 16 hours a day and never rested on weekends. He managed the company with honesty and always pursued high product quality, which earned him trust from customers. He is a forerunner and trail blazer, having led Wanxiang Group to make many records in Chinese private enterprises. For example, Wanxiang was the first listed town-based company, and the first Chinese OEM supplier to GM. Its business has been expanding continuously, from manufacturing of automotive parts to sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture and finance. He has strong sense of responsibility towards the society and the country. In the last several years of his life, Wanxiang Group invested substantively in developing electrical vehicles to implement the green transportation concept and meet the need of China’s green development. His care of employees and his contribution to the society won positive response and acknowledgment, bringing benefits to the enterprise, employees, stakeholders as well as the society.

Consul General Hong Lei also said that Mr. Lu Guanqiu has contributed to the development of China-US relations. In 1984, Wanxiang products were exported to the US and in 1994, it set up its company in the state of Illinois. By now, Wanxiang America has already established 26 factories in 22 states, providing local communities with 18,000 jobs. Illinois announced the “Wanxiang Day” to recognize the contribution of the company. Mr. Lu Guanqiu actively responded to the “100,000 Strong” program brought by President Hu Jintao and President Obama by not only sponsoring the initiative, but also designing curriculum to support American students to study in China in order to deepen understanding. Wanxiang Group has become a shining example of successful win-win China-US cooperation.

Consul General Hong Lei said that although Mr. Lu Guanqiu has left us, his spirit will keep motivating the Wanxiang Group to move forward, and encourage us to contribute to China’s development and improvement of China-US relations.

In his speech, Governor Rauner said that Mr. Lu Guanqiu has been committed to providing high quality products which have improved the life of many people. Wanxiang Group is a remarkable private enterprise. He thanked Mr. Lu Guanqiu and Wanxiang Group for choosing Illinois as the headquarter for its overseas corporate and helping Illinois stand in the forefront of many sectors including renewable energy. Currently, the relationship between the people in Illinois and China are stable and developing rapidly. We will carry forward Mr. Lu Guanqiu’s heritage and forge a better future for both of our people.

In the speech, Mayor Emanuel appreciated the contribution Mr. Lu Guanqiu and Wanxiang Group has made to Chicago. Mr. Lu is a highly successfully entrepreneur and has been very generous in providing opportunities for students in Chicago, facilitating them to study in China and understand the Chinese culture and helping build a bridge between our two countries. Chicago has the largest Chinese teaching program among American public schools, which helps Chicago people and Chinese people to forge a closer bond. We will keep working to facilitate the deep-rooted relationship between Chicago and China ranging from economy, culture to education exchanges

Ni Pin, President of Wanxiang America corporation, said in his speech that Wanxiang Group will inherit Mr. Lu Guanqiu’s will and advocate his spirit to manage the company well and make more contribution to the development of China-US relations.